Through the years, The Raining Season has had the honor of welcoming countless teams to Sierra Leone and The Covering. The trek from the U.S. to Sierra Leone is long, but teams are first welcomed to Sierra Leone at the airport. Then, traveling from the airport to The Covering includes a shuttle, a boat ride, and finally another ground transport. Because of the mountainous terrain of Freetown, the airport is located in the coastal town of Lungi. To get to Freetown, where our center is located, teams must cross the Sierra Leone River by boat, which takes about forty minutes. Early on, teams traveled by a ferry, which took even longer to cross the river.
The airport has seen many updates since teams first started traveling, but the biggest upgrade was celebrated in March of this year with the grand opening of the new, state-of-the-art Freetown International Airport terminal. Previously known as Lungi Airport, it underwent a major transformation that was completed in 2023. This update is a significant step forward for Sierra Leone's infrastructure. With this beautiful new terminal, Sierra Leone is positioning itself as a regional aviation hub, which will increase tourism, business travel, and economic growth. The new terminal is located close to the original terminal and boasts modern amenities, including air conditioning, wi-fi, shopping, and dining options, including pizza and coffee.
*The above photos are Google images.
The new terminal extends beyond the building. The tarmac is capable of handling eight wide-body aircraft simultaneously. The 2-mile runway, taxiways, and aprons were recently resurfaced, and the airport's communication beacons have been modernized. The new terminal also includes improved cargo handling and a new air traffic control tower. Powered entirely by a 1.5 megawatt solar farm, it is also the first fully green airport in West Africa. The next stage of development includes a new five-star hotel. This aims to attract airlines to overnight their aircraft at the airport because local facilities do not currently meet international air crew requirements.
This beautiful new airport terminal is nice not just for our teams but for Sierra Leone as a whole. Seeing Sierra Leone's infrastructure continue to improve is exciting as the country looks ahead to the future. Several teams have already had the opportunity to experience traveling through the new terminal. The new terminal is a symbol of Sierra Leone's progress and development, and we are looking forward to it welcoming future teams to Sierra Leone.
Many blessings,
The Raining Season
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